The background of Rode Microphones is a story of making things better and finding success despite adversity. In 1987, an Australian named Peter Freedman inherited his father's struggling electronics business in suburban Sydney. Looking for a new product to sell, Peter imported some unremarkable microphones, opened them up, and began to tinker. With his modifications, the microphones were transformed and became popular for their new unique sound, which its followers compared to a rat in a drain pipe, earning the mic the title "Rodent-1" among its fans. It was a quirky nickname, but one that Freedman embraced by formally adopting it as "Rode NT-1" - the first Rode microphone. The NT-1 can still be found in Rode's lineup, but it's come a long way since those original experiments. Today's Rode microphones are now all made in-house in their factory in Australia, using their own parts and designed by Rode from the ground up. In the current catalog, the original NT-1 is joined by more broadcast and studio microphones like the NTK, NT2-A, NT3, NT4 stereo and Procaster dynamic microphones. If you're looking for a shotgun mic, the NTG1, 2 and 3 are excellent choices, or if you need a handheld dynamic mic, consider the S1 Pro, M1 and M2.

Some of Rode's most innovative microphones are those designed for use with portable devices. While a modern digital SLR camera can record beautiful HD video, sound is half of the experience of a film and you can do better than the built-in microphone. The VideoMic series are professional-grade microphones that mount directly on your DSLR to record studio-quality sound on the fly. Or, if you want something even more portable, check out the iXY, a stereo condenser mic for iOS devices.

You can also find an assortment of shockmounts and wind screens here to use with your Rode microphones, including the very popular 'Blimp' windshield that has room for most shotgun mics. If you're setting up a new recording studio for the first time, you might simplify your gearing-up with the NT1-A Condenser Mic Bundle. That includes the microphone itself, an integrated pop filter, 20-foot XLR cable, dust cover, shockmount and even an instructional DVD to help guide you get the most out of the mic.

Of course, you don't need a starter set to get peerless performance out of a Rode microphone. These are great-performing mics for musicians and audio professionals of all stripes, and whether it's your first day in the studio or the newest piece of hardware in a long career, any mic from Rode can be counted on to make stellar-quality recordings.